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About
Lough Navar Forest is a magnificent site within the Geopark. Extending across 2,600 hectares of bog, heath, open water, native woodland, and coniferous forest, there’s plenty to explore within this spectacular forest.
The initial part of this walk is along the scenic drive past Old Man’s Head; a sandstone scarp which resembles the profile of an elderly gentleman. The walk then skirts the western shoreline of Lough Meenameen before leaving the shoreline and disappearing deep into the heart of the forest leading to a junction where the obvious path will take you through deep corridors of planted Sitka spruce and lodge pole pine. Through the trees in the distance, you may glimpse Lough Navar and on the opposite side of the track is Lough Naman, a raised bog lake. This area is designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) and is home to a number of interesting species of plants including bog cotton, sedges and the tiny carnivorous plant, sundew. After passing Lough Navar and Lough Naman the walk leads you along the forest track before re-joining the scenic drive to begin its gradual but steady climb to Lough Achork. As you leave the forest track you will cross the Sillees River where a brief detour branching off to the Lough Achork shoreline offers fine views of the lake and surrounding area.
Lough Meenameen and Lough Achork are open to anglers with fishing permits and are well populated with good stocks of brown trout.
Distance: 7 miles / 11km
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Grade: Moderate
Terrain: All types, mostly forest track
Route: Circular
Wheelchair accessible: No
Map: Discoverer Series OSNI Sheet 17 Lower Lough Erne; Activity Map OSNI Upper and Lower Lough Erne
Starting Point: Lough Achork carpark
Facilities: car parking, interpretation, picnic area, 7 miles / 11km of scenic drive, viewpoints and four walking trails.
